Investigation of coating failure - a TWI service

Connect, no.121, November - December 2002, p.7

In all industries, coatings are widely used to provide protection against wear and corrosion damage.

In most cases the coating performs as expected, but when failure does occur, it is necessary to understand the reasons quickly so remedial action can be taken. Such failure could be due to unexpected changes in the serviceenvironment, inappropriate coating selection or a poor standard of coating application.

At TWI, professionally qualified staff with expertise in coating processes and applications, metallurgists and corrosion experts, provide the multi-disciplinary experience needed to solve coating failure problems. We can helpdetermine the cause of failure by providing materials analysis, metallography, renovation and repair, advice on coating selection and expert witnesses.

In addition TWI has a unique range of coating facilities, in particular thermal spraying, laser and arc welded cladding together with a wide range of materials analysis, adhesion testing, corrosion testing and inspectionfacilities.

If you have a coating failure problem or would like to discuss in more detail our services in this area please contact Andy Sturgeon or Dave Harvey. E-mail: andrew.sturgeon@twi.co.uk or dave.harvey@twi.co.uk